Bending machine



P 1947- M. cuLKosKY ET AL 2,427,949

' BENDING MACHINE Filed April 5, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTO Y Patented Sept. 23, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BENDING MACHINE Martin Culkosky and Kornell Oresik, Gary, Ind.

Application April 5, 1945, Serial No. 586,750

8 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a bending machine and more particularly to a machine for forming controller contact segments. The segments are made from one-quarter inch thick copper bars varying in length from two and one-half to six and three-fourth inches and varying in width from one-half to two inches, The finished segments are of arcua'te shape. Prior to our invention the most common way of forming the segments was by hand, but this method was slow, expensive, and inaccurate.

It is an object of our invention to provide a machine for forming each segment by one blow of a hammer head.

Another object is to provide such a machine where the :bars are automatically fed to the machine and the completed segments are automatically discharged therefrom.

These and other obiects will be more apparent after referring to the following specification and attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan View of the bending machine with the feeding device omitted;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the feeding magazine; and

Figure 5 is a plan view of the female die.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral 2 indicates a table on which the bending machine is mounted, the table having four legs made of angle irons 4 and a top plate 6 welded thereto. A horizontal cylinder II], which is made from two pieces screwed together as shown, is supported in an opening in the plate 6 and is provided with a piston [2 to which is attached a piston rod [4. A hammer head [6 is fastened to the free end of the piston rod and is provided with an opening I8 for receiving a spacer bar 23 which surrounds the piston rod l4 and transfers the force from the cylinder ID to the hammer head l6. The center line of the piston rod M is approximately at the same elevation as the center line of the plate 5. The hammer head It is provided with a slot 22 for receiving a female die 24 which has a radius equal to the outside diameter of the finished segment. An opening 25 extends through the hammer head l5 and the female die 24 through which a pin 28 passes to assure that the female die will follow the hammer head in the back stroke. The plate 6 is provided with an opening 353 which extends from the cylinder IE] toward the other end of the plate 6. A male die 32 having a shoulder 34 is fastened to the plate 6 by means of bolts 35 with shoulder 3!; bearing against the end of the opening and the remainder of the die extending over the opening toward the cylinder if]. A bottom guide plate 38 is attached to the bottom of the supporting plate 6 on each side of the opening 36 and extends over the opening 30 to support a straight copper bar til tangentially to the male die in a plane perpendicular to the path of movement of the female die. A top guide plate 42 is attached to the top of supporting plate 5 on each side of the opening 3!] and extends thereover to form a guide 14 in which the female die 24 and hammer head It reciprocate. The top guide plates 22 are cut back to the edge of the opening 35 as shown at 36 to permit feed of the bars W to the bottom guide plates 33, which are spaced apart a distance less than the length of the straight bars 40. The thickness of the female die 24 is equal to the width of the bars 69 and since the bars vary in width and rest on the bottom guides 38, the female die is provided with wear plates 38 on the top thereof to compensate for variations in the width of the segments being formed. In other Words, the thickness of the die 24 may be varied as desired and the thickness of the wear plates 38 will be varied accordingly so that the total thickness of the die 24 and Wear plate 48 will equal the distance between top and bottom guide plates 38 and 52. The concave portion 50 of the female die is somewhat less than a half circle.

Attached to the table 2 in any suitable manner and extending upwardly therefrom in a plane tangential to the male die 32 and perpendicular to the path of movement of the female die 24 is a magazine 52 which is provided with guides 54 for the bars 40, The height of the magazine is such that the weight of the bars '30 will feed and hold the lowest bar in position between the dies until it is bent. The top of the magazine is provided with a horizontal loading table 56 on which the bars 48 are laid in an orderly fashion ready to enter the vertical guides a l A bracket 58, fastened to the top guide plates 42, supports the free end of the loading table 56.

The operation of the piston 52 in the cylinder ii] is controlled by a two-way air valve BR) and a four-way air valve 62 which are linked together by means of lever 54. A handle 56 controls the position of the valves 56 and 62. Compressed air enters the valve 52 from an air supply line 63 and is delivered into the feed end of cylinder it from the valve 62 through the line T0. In this position the exhaust air passes through the line 12 to the valve 60 and out at the exhaust Hi. When retracting the female die, the position of the valve 82 is such that the compressed air passes from the line 68 through the valve $2 to the lines 16 and T2 to the cylinder it while the exhaust air passes through line 3'2, the valve 62, and out at the exhaust 74.

The operation of the device is as follows:

With the female die 2% in the retracted position and the magazine 52 loaded with bars Gil, the weight of the bars is such that the bottom bar will be resting on the bottom guide plates 38. The handle 66 is moved to the feed position and air enters the feed end of cylinder til through the line i and exhausts therefrom through the line '12. The bar 40 is supported by the bottom plates 38 until the initial bend is put into it after which enough thrust is exerted to hold the bar concentric for the balance of the operation. The mass of the hammer head is such that the bar is bent by a hammer blow force rather than by means of a press force. After the bar is bent to an arcuate shape as shown at E8, the straight distance between the ends of the bar is less than the distance between the lower guide plates 38 so that the arcuate segment T8 will drop into a shelf or container below the table top after the female die 2 1 is retracted by moving the valve handle 68 to the return position. As soon as the female die 24 is retracted, the bottom bar ii) in the magazine 52 drops edgewise to a position between the dies and is supported on the lower die plates 38. The cycle of operations is then repeated.

While one embodiment of my invention has been shown and described it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. A machine for forming arcuate segments from straight bars comprising a female die, a cooperating male die, means for moving one of said dies toward and away from the other of said dies in a horizontal plane, top and bottom guide members for each longitudinal edge of said movable die, means for feeding said bars edgewise to a position between said dies in a plane perpendicular to the path of movement of the movable die, said bottom guide members being spaced apart a distance less than the length of the straight bars whereby they act as a support for the straight bar between the dies, said top guide members being cut away to permit feed of said bars to the bottom guide member.

2. A machine for forming arcuate segments from straight bars comprising a female die, a cooperating male die, means for moving one of said dies toward and away from the other of said dies in a horizontal plane, top and bottom guide members for each longitudinal edge of said movable die, means for feeding said bars edgewise to a position between said dies in a plane perpendicular to the path of movement of the movable die, said bottom guide members being spaced apart a disttnce less than the length of the straight bars whereby they act as a support for the straight bar between the dies, said top guide members being cut away to permit feed of said bars to the bottom guide member, said guide members being spaced apart a distance greater than the distance between the ends of said formed segment so that said segment will drop downwardly upon retraction of the movable die.

3. A machine for forming arcuate segments from straight bars comprising a female die, a cooperating male die, means for moving one of said dies toward and away from the other of said dies in a horizontal plane, top and bottom guide members for each longitudinal edge of said movable die, a vertical magazine in a plane perpendicular to the path of movement of the movable die for supporting a plurality of said straight bars on their edges to feed them to a position between said dies, said bottom guide members being spaced apart a distance less than the length of the straight bars whereby they act as a support for the straight bar between the dies, said top guide members being cut away to permit feed of said bars to the bottom guide member.

4. A machine for forming arcuate segments from straight bars comprising a female die, a cooperating male die, means for moving one of said dies toward and away from the other of said dies in a horizontal plane, top and bottom guide members for each longitudinal edge of said movable die, a vertical magazine in a plane perpendicular to the path of movement of the movable die for supporting a plurality of said straight bars on their edges to feed them to a position between said dies, said bottom guide members being spaced apart a distance less than the length of the straight bars whereby they act as a support for the straight bar between the dies, said top guide members being cut away to permit feed of said bars to the bottom guide member, said guide members being spaced apart a distance greater than the distance between the ends of said formed segment so that said segment will drop downwardly upon retraction of the movable die.

5. A machine for forming arcuate segments from straight bars comprising a female die, a cooperating male die, means for moving said female die toward said male die in a horizontal plane, a plate for supporting said feeding means, said plate having an opening therein adjacent said feeding means, a made die fastened to said plate and extending over said opening on the end opposite said feeding means, a bottom guide plate attached to the bottom of said supporting plate on each side of said opening, said guide plates extending over said opening to support a straight bar tangentially to said male die, a top guide plate attached to the top of the supporting plate on each side of said opening, said top guide plates extending over said opening and cooperating with said bottom guide plates to form a guide for said female die, said top guide plates being cut away adjacent the male die to permit feed of said bars to said bottom guide plates, the opening in said supporting plate and the extension of said guide plates over said opening being such that the formed arcuate segment is permitted to drop downwardly through said openin after retraction of the female die.

6. A machine according to claim 5 in which there is a vertical magazine for supporting a plurality of said straight bars on their edges to feed them to said bottom guide plates.

'7. A machine for forming arcuate segments from straight bars comprising a horizontal cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a piston rod connected to said piston, a hammer head connected to said piston rod, a female die connected to said hammer head, a plate for supporting said cylinder, said plate having an opening therein adjacent said cylinder, a male die fastened to said plate and extending over said opening on the end opposite said cylinder, a bottom guide plate attached to the bottom of said supporting plate on each side of said opening, said guide plates extending over said opening to support a straight bar tangentially to said male die, a top guide plate attached to the top of the supporting plate on each side of said opening, said top guide plates extending over said opening and cooperating with said bottom guide plates to form a guide for said hammer head and female die, said top guide plate flceing cut away adjacent the male die to permit feed of said bars to said bottom guide plates, means for supplying a fluid to said cylinder for moving the dies with respect to each other, the opening in said supporting plate and the extension of said guide plates over said opening being such that the formed arcuate segment is permitted to drop downwardly through said opening after retraction of the female die.

8. A machine according to claim 7 in which there is a vertical magazine for supporting a plurality of said straight bars on their edges to feed them to said bottom guide plates.

MARTIN CU'LKOSKY. KORNELL ORESIK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

